BT announces £6bn 4G/Fibre investment plan

Telecoms giant announces plans for superfast and 4G coverage to pass 95 per cent by 2020

BT has set out plans to invest £6 billion across its broadband and mobile businesses as it aims to cover 95 per cent of the UK over the next three years.

The telco said it will invest in 4G and fibre services as part of its ambitions to “help the UK retain its spot as the leading digital nation in the G20.”

Its stated goals include increasing its ultrafast broadband reach to more than 12 million UK homes and premises by 2020. Of these, BT aims to pass more than two million with Fibre to the Premises technology.

It follows on from last month’s announcement that EE, which was bought by BT in January in a £12.5 billion acquisition, will expand its 4G footprint to 95 per cent of the UK geographically by the end of 2020. Currently, it covers around 60 per cent geographically.

BT Group chief executive Gavin Patterson said: “The UK is a digital leader today and it is vital that it remains one in the future. That is why we are announcing a further six billion pounds of investment in our UK networks, subject to regulatory certainty.

“Networks require money and a lot of it. Virgin and BT have both pledged to invest and we will now see if others follow our lead. Infrastructure competition is good for the UK and so is the current Openreach model whereby others can piggyback on our investment should they want to.”